From the Desk of Mr. V #38

Well, hello once again students! It is I, WrestleView’s resident teacher Anthony Valvo and I am here to provide a review on he happenings of professional wrestling regarding WWE, TNA, and ROH. There was a TON of wrestling news and other things since the last column so it may be another one of those ?epic? Mr. V columns, but I will try my best to keep it as simple as possible. So, have a seat and relax. Have a cup of coffee on me. Many things will be addressed ?From the Desk of Mr. V?.

On a side note, once again I thank all of you for the birthday wishes and other positive feedback regarding the Mr. V column and my recent work on Examiner.com. Keep spreading the word on each of them and I am sure your friends will thank you for it. Well, I can dream can?t I?

There is nothing motivation about this quote, but I really am a big fan of The Macho Man! When I saw this quote online, I had to laugh. Hopefully you did as well.

Classroom Rules

I had a couple of rules lined up for this week, but then one of my readers (Robert Downing) went to this past Monday’s Raw in Jacksonville. There were a couple rules that he e-mailed me and I am going to address them to my students. A Gold Star will await you very soon, Mr. Downing. Thanks for the rules.

The following rules have been sent via FaceBook by Robert Downing:

97) If everyone around you is sitting down and you are still standing up, just sit down.

Reason for rule according to Mr. Downing: At tonight’s Raw in Jacksonville this guy and his buddy were standing up during I forgot what match, while everyone around him and his buddy were sitting, people were even shouting at them to sit down but they didn?t. They finally did at the end of the match. Just plain rude. I also think you should put him in detention also; he was such a jerk.

Mr. V’s Take: This is an EXCELLENT rule from a student! And if any student out there dares to say that Robert or I am wrong think about this. You are sitting in front of two morons at a show and you see your favorite wrestler perform a ten minute match. If you have to blabbering idiots stand up and obstruct your view, how much of the match did you see? I know none of my readers would dare do something this foolish.

But to those imbeciles that choose to do this and my students catch you doing this, I will call you out. I find this disturbing that people pay good money (at times in the hundreds) to go to a show and be near the action. So, here is what you should do?.

98) (From Mr. V) You are only allowed to stand up and leave during ring introductions or after the bell rings to conclude a match!

If you do otherwise, then you are an @$$hole! Just sit down like a good student and watch a story take place.

I think wrestling fans should treat wrestling matches like story time at a local library. (by the way big ups to the Monaca Public Library?really good people there). Children sit down, maybe they have a beverage in tow, eyes are on the storytellers (i.e. wrestlers), they ooos and ahhhs, and when the story is over, they stand up, check out a book (or in a fans perspective buy a II Cool necklace or a Kurt Angle T-Shirt), and leave.

The only reason to stand up during a match is if a wrestler is throwing their body on you or if you have an emergency. If neither of these events happen, just sit back and enjoy the show. One can?t describe how foolish they look when they are standing and obstructing someone else’s view of a show. Sorry students, but that riles me up! That is why I stick to watching shows on my TV most of the time.

99) When you sit at least 5 rows back from the guardrail; be courteous to those behind you and stay seated. Don?t stand up and be in the way. We know you got close seats and want to be on TV, but don?t rub it in.

Mr. V’s Take: I can not agree more, Robert. And thank you for informing me on this. Those fans are now going to be in detention as per your request.

Wow, only one more rule until Rule #100!!! I can?t believe I was able to do (with the help of the WrestleView students) 100 rules in ten months! Many thanks to all of you for making it happen.

Headlines, Headlines, Headlines!

Headline #1: Bound For Glory!!! The FIRST Pay-Per-View of TNA that Mr. V every purchased.

Yes, it is true. With the help from a few friends who are wrestling fans, we were able to pay the forty dollars to watch TNA’s marquee event! Now, was the PPV worth it?

If you only paid ten bucks (my group split the bill), then I thought it was well worth the purchase. If you paid the forty, you might have felt short changed.

I will analyze this PPV later on in a future column this week. I won?t go too far into it on this column. Sorry to disappoint.

Headline #2: Nigel McGuinness rejects WWE, goes to TNA.

Well, this headline is misleading, but here is what the rumor mill states that happened. It appeared that Nigel was not ?healthy? enough (aka injuries) to compete in World Wrestling Entertainment. If injuries are the reason to not give Nigel a decent offer, then why is Batista still employed? Oh yeah, because he is over with the kids and women.

So, Nigel then goes to TNA and did in fact appear in the tapings. I won?t ‘spoil? it for anyone so I will leave it at that. So, as of this moment, Nigel McGuinness is employed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

So, do I think it was a good move for Nigel? I am not sure. On one hand if he was going to get a WWE contract, it would be foolish to turn them down and go to TNA. But if WWE decided to not be interested in him, then going to TNA was a great idea!

So I will go with the rumors on this one. If Nigel did in fact agree to be on the TNA roster and get paid handsomely to only work six days a month, then who could blame him? Maybe there are more details that we won?t know.

Let’s face it; Nigel did everything he could in Ring of Honor. He held the title for over a year and was a top draw for many years there. He had to be a part of the either company right now. I look at this as potential for him. In the WWE, we all talked about how he could team with William Regal on ECW (the WWE’s so-called #3 brand, sorry David Stephens). In TNA, who knows, he might be right up there with some of their top guys. Remember when we did our WV Trade Deadline Special this past summer and Josh Piedra and Chris Kelly traded Nigel for Angle? I can see high potential for Nigel if he stays healthy in TNA. If he gets hurt just one time, then I think he is going to be nothing more than a mid-card guy.

Headline #3: Mellon Arena will host its last Pay-Per-View.

Please allow me to be the FIRST person in the professional wrestling media to inform you on this one!

Finally, Pittsburgh gets to host a Pay-Per-View event. Why am I making a big deal about this? Because this might be a very good chance that Bragging Rights is the last PPV to be hosted inside ?The Igloo? (aka Mellon Arena). I probably will not attend but to those who are going, it should be eventful. The last few times Pittsburgh hosted a WWE PPV event did not disappoint. The one that always crosses my mind is the Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring 1998 when the Undertaker threw Mick Foley from atop of the Cell! When I saw that, I thought Mick was dead! Then minutes later, Undertaker choke slams Foley through the Cell! Still one of the most memorable matches in WWE History, and it happened at the Mellon Arena. Also in that same King of the Ring, Kane defeated Steve Austin to win his only World Title.

I could go on and on about this, but I will just leave it at that. If this is in fact the last pay-per-view in Pittsburgh, I just hope that the WWE tears the dome off of that place! The card right now looks solid and I think (not sure) if this is going to be the first ever Iron Man No Holds Barred Match in WWE history!

Before I end this subject, I will in fact give you some facts about the WWE and Pittsburgh’s favorite run-down arena:

1) The WWE actually holds the record for largest attendance inside Mellon Arena. They were able to get 18,150 fans to enter ?The Igloo? on a show in 1999.

2) The Mellon Arena hosted at least five (soon to be six) PPVs. Here were the best moments from each of them. I am sorry if I missed some PPVs on here, but here we go.

Main Event: Kane defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in a first blood match to win the WWF Championship.

– Little did we know that: 1) Kane’s reign only last a day and 2) Kane has been with the company for over ten years and this was his ONLY World Title, sad huh?

Other memories: This was Owen Hart’s last PPV in Pittsburgh (losing to X-Pac), Ken Shamrock pinned The Rock to win the 1998 King of the Ring, The New Age Outlaws defeated the NEW Midnight Express (remember them? Bob Holly and Bart Gunn as a tag team?) to defend their WWF Tag Team Championship, and of course Mankind almost killed himself in that Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker.

Unforgiven 2001

Main Event: Kurt Angle used his Ankle Lock submission to beat Stone Cold Steve Austin to win his 2nd WWE Championship in a classic!

– I remember the moment well, as Angle seemed pretty emotional after winning this in front of his hometown crowd.

Other memories: A fatal four-way elimination match in which The Dudley Boys were able to retain their Tag Team Championships. There opponents were The Hardy Boys, Spike Dudley/Big Show, and Lance Storm/Hurricane. Also, the Pittsburgh crowd witnessed Christian first Intercontinental Title Win over Edge, Rob Van Dam retaining his Hardcore Championship over Chris Jericho, and The Rock beating both Booker T and Shane McMahon to retain the WCW World Championship.

No Way Out 2005

Main Event: JBL vs. The Big Show in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match.

– JBL was able to retain his championship which was a disappointment because we wanted to see JBL get annihilated by Show.

Other memories: John Cena defeated Kurt Angle to be the #1 Contender for the WWE Championship (in which he beat JBL WM 21 to win his first WWE Championship), Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio successfully won the Tag Team Championship belt over The Basham Brothers, and Chavo Guerrero won the Cruiserweight Championship in an open challenge.

Armagendon 2007

Main Event: Batista vs. Edge vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.

– Edge won this match with a little help. Remember ?The Edge-Heads?? Well, they made their debut as lackeys for Edge on this very show. Since then one became famous for his theme song, while the other is a lot like that kid on Happy Days when he went up to the attic and never came back.

Other memories: Jeff Hardy became the #1 contender for Randy Orton’s title by beating HHH, Shawn Micheals beat Mr. Kennedy, Beth Phoenix defended her Women’s Title over Mickie James, and (in the dark match), MizMo lost to Jesse and Festus.

So, we had our studs and duds in Pittsburgh. Let’s just hope that WWE gives the Mellon Arena one more great show before they move to the long-awaited Consol Energy Center.

Detentions and Etnernal Detentions

Since this past week was ?Mr. V’s Birthday Week?, I decided to NOT include a detention list. However some fans suggested the following be placed in detention. And as always, if you suggest someone’s name to be placed on this list, e-mail me at mistervwv@hotmail.com or send a message on FaceBook.

So with that, detentions (not eternal) go out to the following:

Wrestling Fans who stand in front of fans seated to watch a wrestling show – You all should sit down and enjoy the show. Only stand when a match ends or before it starts. But NEVER during a match?.EVER!! (Requested by: Robert Downing)

Balloon Boy’s Parents – Really what is this world coming to? I blame this on Reality TV! My gosh, I guess if you have eight kids at one time, have a dysfunctional family, whine and b!tch (can?t swear in a Mr. V column) about how bad your life is on Survior, get spat on just to win the heart of Flavor Flav, have your three year old dress up like a prostitute (aka Toddlers and Tiaras), and not have the intelligence to know what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is, then YOU can have your very own TV Show!! **Deep Breath** Well, at least ABC is sane enough to add ?Modern Family? to their lineup. Man is Ed O?Neil good at this role, which reminds me?

WWE??.GET AL BUNDY AS A GUEST HOST FOR RAW!!!!

?Carglass? – Why must you repeat your commercials in France every five minutes??? The only person to have ever been allowed to be on TV every five minutes is Billy Mays! Since Mays passed away, I agree with this student as to placing them in detention (Requested by: Rocky Jr.)

Samoa Joe’s Wardrobe – I seen it evolve and I say yes! Whoever designs Samoa Joe’s wrestling attire should be on here until future notice (Requested By: Brian Czygan)

TNA Refs, Abyss, and Mick Foley – for botching your pin! How hard can that be?

Mr. V’s Honor Roll for the Week of October 12 – October 16, 2009

This past week, I gave the WWE, TNA, and ROH a shot to perform extra well on the week of my birthday. Now, was I impressed? The answer was?Yes (for the most part)! I can say that at least a few matches were ?Honor Roll? worthy, but here are the top three as picked by Mr. V.

In my opinion, this was hands-down the best match of this past week! There is in fact something call in-ring psychology, and these two had great psychology in this contest. I heard from a lot of the students of WrestleView that this match was going to be great, and as always the students do not lie. It was worth the wait! I actually liked the ?Draw? finish and I will tell you why. It did not put one over the other. No one looked weak in this twenty minute match and it helped both wrestlers keep their momentum at Bound for Glory. The back and forth work was great and I could not detect something that went wrong here.

Move of the Match: AJ’s 450 Springboard Splash?and only got a two count by the ref!!

High Honors – CM Punk vs. John Morrison, WWE Superstars, October 15.

I will be honest, this week only one thing stood out on WWE Superstars. This was it. I am really hoping soon that CM Punk captures that World Heavyweight Championship and John Morrison drops the Intercontinental belt. Because if we can get a Punk vs. Morrison title match, it would be simply amazing. Sure, this contest was not as good as the other ones they had in months past, but from start to finish there was solid back and forth control. I really liked the story being told in the ring, and the ending in DQ was actually pretty good. This match stood out because of in-ring chemistry match with both men having the ability to execute their maneuvers well. Still, if Miz was not involved it would have gotten the same grade.

Move of the Match: Though it happenened after the bell, Morrison hitting the Flying Chuck was great!

Honors – KENTA vs. Chris Hero, ROH on HDNet, October 12.

This match would have been high if not for a ton of no-selling by both guys. Still, I was real impressed with this contest. From start to end, it worked out really well. KENTA is just a novelty in ROH so we knew he was not feuding with anyone. However, Eddie Kingston interfering in the match was great and continues the feud between these Kingston and Hero. Though it was average in transitions, it did have its moments.

Move of the Match: Hero was whipped to the barricade, but Hero ran to the top and stood on the barricade and landed an elbow on KENTA!

Look, I am glad that Melina is the Diva’s Champion and it was nothing more than a twenty second squash, but here me out. When someone botches the whole match, then it is in fact terrible. Though a Jillian Hall title reign would have been nice, I am still glad Melina is champ. Still, the match is one I am nominating for Worst of the Year.

Once again if you have a show that you thought was the best in the week of professional wrestling, please let me know by e-mailing me at mistervwv@hotmail.com. Thanks to those who participated last week:

Ring of Honor on HDNet (October 12)

Best Segment: I would have to say one that was real good was Colt Cabana’s ?tough-and-cheek? humor about his former job.

Best Match: KENTA vs. Chris Hero (Grade: B)

Monday Night Raw (October 12)

Best Segment: I actually thought HHH’s interaction throughout the show was very good, especially when he was on the phone with HBK. Very funny stuff!

Best Match: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena vs. Ted DiBiase (Grade: C+)

ECW (October 13)

Best Segment: I thought Sheamus? promo and ripping on Shelton Benjiman was great! Right now among rookie superstars, Sheamus is the best when cutting promos.

I thought the storylines were done well. Ryder complaining at Regal was a good way to build some hatred here. Sheamus cut a very good promo that night as well. As for the wrestling, I can?t complain here. The opening match (Zeke vs. Goldust) was average, but Goldust actually put on a solid match here. Birchill vs. Hurricane really impressed as well. I am glad they gave Paul the win here, he was in much need of one. The main event I though was pretty good as well. It elevated Tatsu and gave Christian a victory. The show added more tension with Ryder and Regal, and that is a plus for this show. Overall, it was a good show. But since the four behind them really did not step up, they were #2 by default.

Mr. V’s Pick for Best Show: TNA Impact!

I thought this was a good (but not great) go home show. The AJ vs. Angle match was just brilliant and hands-down the best match on Impact this year. I also really liked the Hamada vs. Flash match. I still can?t picture any Diva on WWE doing those spots that Hamada does. The segments after the main event were done well. It may have helped a few hundred fans buy the Bound for Glory show on TV. I also like the fact that Don West is managing Red. West I could see be more of a manager/promoter than an announcer. Still, there were other good matches on this card and the goal was to make it good before their biggest show of the year. Well, Mission Accomplished!!

I, for one, never thought I would see the day in which I have Impact ahead of Monday Night Raw. But I give TNA credit for consistently putting on some great shows recently.

Commentator Report Card (Presented By: JR’s Family Bar-B-Q!! Sure, his BBQ Sauce and his Jerky offers free shipping to the United States. But I am going to be serious and wish Jim Ross a speedy recovery. JR had his third Bell’s Palsy attack recently and it will take him off TV this week. On behalf of WrestleView students and Faculty alike, we wish Jim Ross a speedy recovery and our thoughts are with you)

Among Students, they averaged exactly six wins. Also, a good friend of mine Mike DiVito won the gold star among the students with a very impressive 8-3 record. Once again, thank you all very much for participating. We got one more week to go (Bragging Rights). We will see you then!

Mr. V’s ?Always Impressive? Gold Star Segment (Presented By: Dave and Crelly’s Lounge on BlogTV! Always a good show to listen to on Wednesdays)

Lots of Gold Stars to give this week! Let’s begin!

Jose Marrero and Chris Kelly – For posting the best records among The Faculty. Even though I posted the same record, I think they deserve the stars more than I do.

Joe Baiamonte, Josh Boutwell, and Jose Marrero – Right now (no lie), a THREE WAY TIE after almost nine months into this predictions game. This is going to be a great finish and best of luck to all of them!

Mike DiVito – Among the students, he was the best at predicted Bound for Glory, with a robust 8-3 record!

Daffney – For taking a HUGE bump onto a barbed wire table!! I hope she recovers quickly from that broken arm she suffered as well.

Kevin Nash – Actually for getting pinning on a pay-per-view!! I know that it is pretty shocking.

Kurt Angle and AJ Styles – Thank you for putting on a great match last Thursday.

Hernandez – For beating three men in a gauntlet match!

Kofi Kingston – For dropping the Jamaican accent and being yourself. I really think because of this and his uncanny ability that he is ready for the next level.

The City of Pittsburgh – This is NOT me stating this, but by a student of Mr. V’s classroom. Brian Czygan was real impressed with the Pittsburgh fans, as they were a pretty cool group around him. Thank you Brian for taking notice of this.

To all who checked out my Examiner Page – Please keep spreading the word on this.

To YOU, the reader – For reading this very long column once again.

Michael Cole – Not the Play-by-Play announcer, but the color commentator on SD! According to Greg McNeish, he thought that Cole did a good job on commentary with Todd Grisham.

Todd Grisham – He did a nice job on commentary, but the real reason is because he got married this weekend. Many blessings, Todd.

Eat, Move: Don?t eat too fat, too sugary Banner – From Rocky Jr. I agree with this from Rocky. Don?t gain weight like Samoa Joe. After you eat that Double Cheeseburger from Burger King, enjoy a walk to burn off at least some of those calories. Since those doubles are one dollar, I will be walking a lot this month.

Taz and Mike Tenay – They both did a GREAT job doing commentary for Bound for Glory.

Current Homework Assignment

Since I only got seven ballots, I will post this once again for the WrestleView students. Thanks to those who already sent me the ballots:

As we all know, with the thanks to all of you the best wrestling themes was a complete success! Now, here is a follow up to the previous assignment:

Name the five (5) WORST wrestling theme songs of all-time. Please rank them from one to five. Points will be awarded by ranking as like the last assignment.

I think this could be better than the Best Themes. Who knows when this is due, but the column should be very entertaining once completed. Please e-mail me all your choices at mistervwv@hotmail.com or message me on Facebook.

Also, e-mail me for any suggestions for detentions, Gold Stars, and also classroom rules! Who knows maybe I may accept your request and you can be a part of this column as well!

Well, that sums up another edition From the Desk of Mr. V. As always, if you want to chat wrestling you can always go on FaceBook and ask me your questions (I am on there at least once a day). You can also e-mail your comments to my address at mistervwv@hotmail.com. I am getting much better in responding to the e-mails, so drop me a line.

It is the end, and you know what that means. Time to push in your chairs, walk in a straight line, and exit your classroom door (more than likely your computer room or dormitory room). Until The Faculty’s next set of Predictions (Bragging Rights edition), I bid you farewell! Thanks for reading and you are all officially?????DISMISSED!!

Look me up on Facebook under Anthony J. Valvo in the Pittsburgh Network